LWV Priorities
Annual programming is aligned with LWVUS and LWVMD priorities. League of Women Voters of Baltimore County approves these at our annual meeting.
Making Democracy Work®
Voting Rights
Voting is a fundamental right, and all eligible voters should have the equal opportunity to exercise that right. The League is dedicated to ensuring that our elections remain free, fair, and accessible.
Improving Elections
The League engages voters to ensure that they have the information they need to participate in elections that determine our future. We do this through Election Services such as voter registration programs, Voters’ Guide distribution, candidate forums, and VOTE411, which is our digital guide to election information, including polling locations, registration deadlines, and candidate information. We also support the National League’s position to abolish the Electoral College. We support the direct election of the President and Vice-President by popular vote.
Money in Politics
We are committed to reforming our county's campaign finance system to ensure the public's right to know, combat corruption and undue influence, enable candidates to compete more equitably for public office, and allow maximum citizen participation in the political process.
Redistricting
We oppose partisan and racial gerrymandering that strips rights from voters. We promote transparent and accountable redistricting processes and work to end hyper-partisan practices that don't benefit constituents. We believe responsibility for fair redistricting should be vested in an independent special commission, with membership that reflects the diversity of the voters.
Advocacy
In addition to Making Democracy Work®, our League supports the following priorities:
Vote4More!
VOTE4MORE!, also known as 4MORE 4BALTIMORE COUNTY!, is a public petition effort led by Baltimore County residents to place a question on the 2024 General Election ballot that would add four more Council districts, reduce the size of each district from around 123,000 to 78,000 residents, increase the number of board and commission opportunities, and add new requirements to give citizens more input in redistricting. This would dramatically improve local government access, accountability, productivity, and diversity.
Education
We believe the purposes of public education are to prepare students to be responsible citizens and to understand and affirm the democratic values in our society; to prepare students to be economically self-sufficient; and to prepare students to be lifelong learners, appreciative of the arts, knowledgeable about technology, and sensitive to cultural and individual differences. We support improving outcomes for students disproportionately affected by systemic barriers.
Accountable Policing
The League advocates against systemic racism in the justice system and, at a minimum, for preventing excessive force and brutality by law enforcement. Baltimore County has a long history of systemic inequality, which includes racially biased policing and brutality. The LWVBCo works with the Baltimore County Coalition for Police Accountability (BCCPA) to advocate for transparency and accountability in police reform. We advocate for community involvement in the creation of the Police Accountability Board and diverse representation on that board.
Positions and priorities that guide League Action
The League has a longstanding tradition of developing positions on issues that drive our priorities through member consensus. To learn more about all of our positions, visit LWVBCo Position Statements 2021.